


set the prairie on fire

by okaypianist



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Ben is Nick but smoother, F/M, Fluff, Professor Ben, Professor Rey, Professor/Professor, Rey is Miss Day, Teachers, based on the episode Pepperwood with the writers, new girl inspired, no power imbalances or workplace shenanigans just Ben being an idiot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:28:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27703460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/okaypianist/pseuds/okaypianist
Summary: Heaving a sigh that makes his chest expand and therefore makes his cheap student desk squeak, Ben decides that if he has to write filth, he can at least try to write classy and subtle filth. He decides he will submit a poem.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 4
Kudos: 36
Collections: Who's that ship? It's Reylo!, the short and completed Reylo works of o. k. p.





	set the prairie on fire

_“Oh, yeah, fuck yes, give it to me harder, Pep!” the boobacious blonde screams. “Just like-“_

“Okay, first of all, you cannot name the character Pep,” Ben interrupts. “Wait. No. First of all, boobacious isn’t a word, and second of all, no naming him Pep. It will be obvious this is just a self-insert.”

“More like an other-insert, am I right?” Armitage Pepperwood replies, snickering at his own joke.

“Remind me again why I agreed to this?”

“You lost the bet and you know it. Poe Dameron in the engineering department did, in fact, agree to go out with me. I got a date before you did, and that means my choice of activity this fall.”

“I cannot believe we’re taking a sweaty storytime class instead of calligraphy,” Ben grumbles.

___

Benjamin Solo and Armitage Pepperwood are lifelong friends and tenure-track professors at the University of Chandrila, where Ben teaches music composition and Pep is a military historian. They agreed to start looking for a date there in Chandrila - Armitage’s idea, of course. They also agreed that the first person to score a date could pick out a continuing ed class for them to take together, in a way of plugging into their new local scene even more.

Just the thought of Pep’s chosen course, Adult Fiction Writing for Beginners, makes Ben very uncomfortable. While Ben wouldn’t mind meeting a partner sometime soon, he certainty does not want to write about either his past real ones or any imaginary future ones. Especially not in the company of eighteen strangers, his best friend, and an instructor named something as ridiculous as Miss Day. Pep insisted on writing up some disgusting nonsense and making Ben listen to it before they have even been to their first class. Ben grits his teeth, reminds himself of all the favors Pep has done for him over the years, and tries not to listen too closely to phrases like _heaving bosoms_ and _throbbing member._

When they arrive in the biology classroom across campus that will be the home of their continuing ed class for the next eight weeks - _why the fuck aren’t they in an actual English classroom? -_ Pep and Ben choose desks in the back row. Ben doesn’t hate the idea of being a learner instead of an instructor, in theory, but in practice these student desk-arms-attached-to-chairs prove much too small for his long legs and boxy torso.

Ben is trying to reassure himself - just sixteen hours of this, just eight sessions, just a couple of months of Monday nights and then you never have to see most of these idiots again - when the instructor arrives toting a teal backpack, a green water bottle, and a stack of heavy books.

Miss Day is… well, Miss Day is the kind of woman who makes you think about trying to turn her first name into Mrs.

An athletic body and a kind face, sparkling eyes behind thick glasses, and dark hair in a messy bun? It’s every teacher or librarian fantasy Ben has ever had brought to life… and Ben has had a lot of academia-focused fantasies.

“Hello class, and welcome to Adult Fiction for Beginners. My name is Rey Day, and my usual students call me Miss Day, but then, of course, my usual students are four to ten.”

“Can you believe this?” Pep hisses to Ben. “An elementary teacher they’ve got in here, teaching all these doctor so-and-sos.”

“Shh!”

Miss Day seems unfazed by Hux and Ben chattering - and by several sets of raised eyebrows around the room - and continues, “Since we’re all adults here, you can just call me Rey. We’ll go around and say our names and pronouns next time, but today I just want you to get comfortable in this space. Then, next Monday, we’ll get comfortable with each other as well.”

The introductory lecture is basic but well-organized, and Ben finds himself lost in the rhythm of Rey’s speech and the beautiful tone of her speaking voice. He wonders if she ever sings - she talks as though she would be a charming singer.

After their mid-lecture break is over, Rey surprises them all by asking for a free writing period. She wants a little sample from each student to look over in the week ahead, she says, so that she knows how to structure the rest of the course to best help all of them. That seems logical to Ben until he remembers that.. he is supposed to write explicit material and hand it over to this beautiful woman.

Five minutes after the free writing period has begun, Ben has only written the introductory information Rey asked for.

_“Benjamin Solo, PhD_

_please call me Ben_

_he/him/his_

_music composition.”_

How is he supposed to write anything else? To his side, Armitage does not seem to be having a similar problem. Pep’s pen is flying across the page, and many of the other students are frantically writing as well. Ben supposes that makes sense - maybe everyone here except for him expected to write adult content and looked forward to it. Maybe they all already do that regularly. Hell, maybe this is a wattpad factory... but he did not sign up for this willingly.

Heaving a sigh that makes his chest expand and therefore makes his cheap student desk squeak, Ben decides that if he has to write filth, he can at least try to write classy filth. He decides he will submit a poem as his first sample.

_The same old tongue-in-cheek_

_Regretting that both are mine_

_I don’t like to be so weak_

_Retreating behind these lines_

_The music, it never goes_

_But I told you I hate that shit_

_When people say, "well, you know-_

_You got a song out of it!"_

_I would cover every inch of you_

_Like ink upon paper_

_A full, bright moon_

_And your dark, sad nature_

_You and me, we are_

_The heart of desire_

_How hard will the wind blow_

_When we set the prairie on fire?_

  
_ Now, that I'll never know  _

_And I don’t know what else to do_

_I would rather be anywhere_

_Than here without you_

_____  
  


When Rey calls time, Pep, Ben and the other adults shuffle up to her and turn in their very first writing samples. Ben will remember the next minute as one of the most embarrassing ones of his entire life.

Why?

Because he realizes,

In the after-class chatter,

That this course is simply for

Fiction

From

Adults.

Not ... Adult Fiction.

He and Pep are about to hand in explicit material to the nice elementary teacher who just wants to help out bored professors and local senior citizens with their dragon and vampire stories.

Ben tries to slink out without handing in his poem, but Rey gently places a hand on his elbow and dimples up at him. She asks him if he is nervous and he stammers something about misunderstanding the course title. He can hear Pep absolutely cackling as he realizes what he and Ben have just done.

________

"...and the music part, it's very nice. Did anyone ever actually tell you to perk up about a breakup because it could be songwriting material?"

"Fortunately not," Ben replies ruefully, "or I think they might've lost their tongue for it. I just thought it sounded poetic."

"It was very poetic, darling," says Rey. They are seated on her squashy green couch, chatting over takeout and a Hallmark movie.

Somehow, Miss Day found it in herself not only to not kick her two smut peddlers out of class, but to eventually agree to date one of them when the course ended. Ben is confused by it all, but happy just the same.

After all, she is the one who is an expert on writing a happy conclusion to a story.

________

**Author's Note:**

> Ben's poetry is from a smashing together of two Shawn Colvin songs, Monopoly and Set The Prairie on Fire. I love her and I apologize for these literary crimes against her.


End file.
